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1944 Popular Music, Songs and Artists |
Bing Crosby Going My Way is a 1944 movie starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. The story revolves around a young Priest, played by Bing Crosby, who comes secretly, to the aid of an older priest who is about to lose his parish. The older Priest, Father Fitzgibbon, was played by Barry Fitzgerald.” Would You Like To Swing On A Star”, and “Too – Ra – Loo – Ra – Loo – Ra”, were both parts of this motion picture. The film was not a musical as much as a film that involved music. Would You Like To Swing On A Star, became the key to getting money to save the parish. The song has an interesting history. Jimmy Van Heusen, a songwriter working on the film was at Crosby’s house for dinner one evening. One of Crosby’s sons complained of not wanting to go to school the next day. Crosby looked at his son and said to him, “If you don’t go to school, you might grow up to be a mule. Do you wanna do that?” The rebuke became the inspiration for an Academy Award-winning song. Too – Ra – Loo – Ra – Loo – Ra was actually written in 1914 by composer James Royce Shannon who lived from 1881 to 1946. The film used the song to sing the old priest, Father Fitzgibbon, to sleep after he had been caught in a bad storm. Though the song was written in 1914 the composer would live to see his song become a popular hit in 1944. Judy Garland Meet Me In St Louis told the story of the Smith family, over one year. The movie starts in the summer and ends in the spring, with the opening of the St Louis World’s Fair. In the summer section, one of the daughters, Esther, played by Judy Garland, and a group of her friends are going to the fairgrounds to see what preparations are being made. And they are going by trolley. Garland sings a song that told the story of a young woman who meets the love of her life on a trolley. This would become one of the biggest hits of Garland’s career only outdone by Over The Rainbow. Another significant point about Meet in St Louis is that one other song would become popular and take on a life of its own being recorded repeatedly by many artists. The song is, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Another point from the personal life of Garland is this was where she met Vincent Minnelli, the two would marry and would produce Liza Minnelli. Meet Me In St Louis is considered by many movie scholars as one of the greatest films of all time. Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters The Mills Brothers Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes Merry Macs The King Cole Trio Take our 1944 Quiz! |
Top Artists and Songs of 1944 |
Al Dexter and His Troopers Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), Too Late To Worry, Too Blue To Cry |
Andrews Sisters Shoo-Shoo Baby |
Benny Carter I’m Lost |
Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters Don’t Fence Me In, Victory Polka, A Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin, Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t (My baby) |
Bing Crosby Swinging on a Star, I Love You, I’ll Be Seeing You, San Fernando Valley, Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral, It Could Happen to You, Poinciana (Song Of The Tree), Amor |
Charlie Barnet Skyliner |
Duke Ellington Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me, Main Stem, Black Brown and Beige |
Ernest Tubb Soldier’s Last Letter |
Frank Sinatra A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening, I Couldn’t Sleep a wink last Night |
Glen Gray My Heart Tells Me, My Shing Hour |
Guy Lombardo Its Love Love Love, Speak Low (When you Speak, Love) |
Harry James and Dick Haymes I’ll Get By (As Long As I Have You) |
Harry James Cherry, Estrellita |
Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes Long Ago And Far Away, It Had To Be You, Together |
I’ll Walk Alone Dinah Shore |
Ink Spots with Ella Fitzgerald Cow-Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay), Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall, I’m Making Believe |
Ink Spots A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening, I’ll Get By (As Long As I Have You) |
Jimmy Dorsey Besame Mucho, Star Eyes |
Jo Stafford It Could Happen to You |
Joe Loss Orchestra No Other Love, You’ll Never Know |
Judy Garland Trolley Song |
King Cole Trio Straighten Up And Fly Right |
King Sisters It’s Love-Love-Love |
Lawrence Welk Don’t You Sweetheart Me |
Les Brown Twilight Time |
Lester Young Just You Just Me |
Lionel Hampton Hamp’s Boogie Woogie |
Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five G.I. Jive |
Louis Jordan Ration Blues |
Marlene Dietrich Lili Marlene |
Mary Martin I’ll Walk Alone |
Merry Macs Mairzy Doats |
Mills Brothers You Always Hurt The One You Love, Till Then |
Red Foley Smoke on the Water |
Russ Morgan Dance With A Dolly (With A Hole In Her Stocking) |
Stan Kenton Artistry In Rhythm And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine |
Tex Ritter I’m Wasting My Tears On You |
Vera Lynn You’ll Never Know |
Woody Herman Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me |
Xavier Cugat Babalu, Amor |
